The exhibition, themed "Long Van Khanh Hoi - The image of the dragon in Vietnamese culture", introduces 100 antiques from the Ly Dynasty to the early 20th century, collected by the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History and a number of private collectors. The exhibition is divided into four main contents: dragons in the royal court, daily life, religious beliefs and architecture.

The highlight is the area displaying dragon statues in the royal palace, mainly items associated with the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945) such as royal robes, royal decrees, seals, and golden books and jade edicts.

The ivory seal "Hoang De Ton Than Chi Bao" was crafted in the late 19th century. The seal handle is a sitting dragon statue with its head reaching forward, symbolizing the power of the Nguyen Dynasty.

According to the book "Kham dinh Dai Nam hoi dien su le" , seals were used for public and political activities of the Nguyen Dynasty such as festivals, granting of grace, pardoning of criminals, inspection of localities, and royal decrees to foreign countries. During its 143 years of existence, the Nguyen Dynasty had more than 100 seals made from precious materials such as gold, silver, jade, ivory, and even meteorites.

The "Khanh Ninh Palace Treasure" seal was made during the reign of Minh Mang (reigning from 1820 to 1841) - the second emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty. The seal is made of ivory, the knob is in the shape of three mountains, the seal face is round, the outer edge is engraved with the "two dragons fighting for a pearl" motif, the seal face is engraved with four Chinese characters in seal script "Khanh Ninh Palace Treasure".

Khanh Ninh Palace is the name of a building that once existed in the capital of Hue. This place was used as a temporary residence for the king when he went to practice plowing in preparation for the annual Tich Dien ceremony.

An ivory pen holder, from the Minh Mang period, decorated with an elaborately crafted dragon image.

The metal book, crafted in 1869, has a dragon engraved inside. The artifact dates back to the reign of King Tu Duc (reigned 1847-1883), the fourth emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty.

Metal books are documents usually made of gold, silver, gold-plated silver, or copper, used to record important events such as giving posthumous titles to emperors and empresses, establishing crown princes, honoring concubines in the harem, or granting titles to princes.

The Nguyen Dynasty gold-plated silver bowl is decorated with an elaborate dragon image on the outside. Mr. Nghiem Giang Anh, the owner of the antique, said the artifact was purchased more than 5 years ago from a foreign collector.

"Although the exact date is unknown, through the decorative dragon image and the manufacturing materials, we can guess that this is an item from the royal court," said Mr. Giang Anh.

Terracotta dragon heads from the Tran Dynasty (1225-1400) were used to decorate the palaces in the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long. Dragon heads were often made of ceramic or terracotta, creating a majestic and artistic look for the architectural work from afar.

The dragon head of the Tran Dynasty was crafted meticulously and delicately with soft and graceful curves. The dragon still stretched upwards but did not bend as much as in the Ly Dynasty. However, the fangs were short, the horns protruded and there was a pearl in its mouth. In general, the image of the dragon of the Tran Dynasty was plump and strong with more decisive and powerful movements than the Ly Dynasty.

The exhibition also introduces to the public the image of the dragon in religious beliefs and daily life through artifacts such as incense burners, scrolls, bells, thrones, bowls, plates, and vases.

The bronze bell was crafted in 1800 during the reign of King Canh Thinh (1792-1802) - the last emperor of the Tay Son Dynasty. The highlight is the bell handle, which is stylized in the shape of a dragon.

The exhibition will last until March 31, 2024, with an admission fee of VND 30,000 per visitor.